PEAR is an acronym for “PHP Extension and Application Repository” The purpose of PEAR is to provide:
- A structured library of open-sourced code for PHP users
- A system for code distribution and package maintenance
- A standard style for writing code in PHP
- PHP Foundation Classes (PFC)
- PHP Extension Community Library (PECL)
- A website, mailing lists and download mirrors to support the PHP/PEAR community
